A Moment of Peace
by emygrl99
Summary: My entry for the first day of SaboLu week! Some self-indulgent fluff where Sabo and Lu meet up again sometime after Dressrosa


**The fluff I promised you guys! This was intended for day 1 (affection) of SaboLu week, but I missed that deadline pretty spectacularly... but anyways! Have some purely self-indulgent fluff of our two favorite bros ^^ Enjoy!**

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Heavy breathing and weary bodies were all that remained of the victors after the battle. All around lay the bodies of defeated enemies, and a joyful cheer rose up above the worn, stucco buildings. They had won.

A smile quirked Sabo's lips as he rested his hands on his knees, still panting from the exertion. He'd had complete faith that they would win, of course, but even he had to admit that there had been a moment where he hadn't been sure their victory would be a clean one.

"Chief!"

Sabo turned, waving off the concerned medical staff with a cheery smile as he hefted his pole onto his shoulders. "I'll be fine guys, go worry about the others."

His injuries weren't the most serious out of everybody who had fought, and the team reluctantly backed off, trusting their leader would alright like. Sabo chuckled to himself, placing his staff back against the ground and leaning against it as he observed the battleground. Buildings lay in ruins - mostly his handiwork - but Sabo felt he could safely say that this battle had been a decisive victory for the Revolutionary Army.

Breathing finally slowed, Sabo began his compulsory search around what remained of the town, searching for civilians in need of treatment or shelter. He'd found a couple dead bodies as well, and he did his best to cover them in sheets for the sweeping team to properly bury later. It had been difficult to find flowers in this dry, arid town, but Sabo managed to find enough for each body, determined to give the dead the respect they deserved.

By the time he'd finished his rounds, the moon was high in the sky. He'd found a total of 27 civilians, several of which had pledged themselves to the cause after being freed from the tyranny that had ruled their country for so long. And only when Sabo was certain all of his allies had been cared for did he allow himself to receive medical attention of his own. His underlings liked to think of that particular habit as him being selfless and brave, but it was simply a matter of needing to keep moving for Sabo. After a difficult battle like that, his body would be filled with restless energy that wouldn't let up until he'd done everything he possibly could.

There was a particularly troublesome injury on his hip where he'd been caught off guard by an enemy with a sword, but it was nothing to be too concerned about as long as he took it easy the next couple days. Sabo smirked as he stretched out in his cot, unwinding after the long, hard day.

As if anybody here believed he would actually take a few days off for such a minor injury. Koala would yell at him for it, sure, but that was standard procedure by this point. He'd do something stupid and reckless, Koala would yell at him for it, Sabo would agree to be more careful, and then go right back to whatever it was he was doing before.

He couldn't wait to see her again. Sabo chuckled softly as he imagined her reaction, eyelids sliding closed as he finally slipped into a light sleep.

He was up again before the sun had risen, moving about and waking all the others with a sense of purpose that had even the laziest of morning people climbing out of their cots with little more than a grumble or two. Sabo estimated it would take about an hour for everyone to get up and eat, and another hour or two to break camp and load the ships. And then finally he would be on his way home.

As he stood off the side, monitoring the progress they were making in loading the ships, Sabo felt a presence behind him. He turned around, only to be met with the sight of his little brother racing towards him. Sabo barely had time to drop his pipe and brace himself before Luffy's body crashed into his own, sending the two of them sprawling into the dirt.

"SABO!" Luffy cheered, wrapping his arms tightly around Sabo's body and leaving no room for escape- or any sort of movement, for that matter.

"Luffy?" Sabo coughed through the dust that had risen when they fell, floored by his brother's sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?"

"Nami saw in the news that the Revolutionary Army was here, and we were close by so we came to see you!" Luffy said happily, all smiles and laughter. After another moment, he released Sabo from his death hold and they stood, properly facing each other for the first time in years.

A grin stretched across Sabo's face, rivaling that of his brother's. He gave the boy a once-over, glad to see that he was looking healthy and strong as he should. "You're looking good, Luffy," he commented casually, grin twisting into a smirk.

Luffy let out a sneaky laugh, immediately picking up on what Sabo was hinting at. "I've gotten way stronger since you last saw me," he warned, falling into his customary fighting stance.

"I would hope so, don't think I'll go easy on you, little brother," Sabo taunted as he fell into his own fighting stance. "I haven't been sitting around twiddling my thumbs either."

"Good! You're going to need all the help you can get!" Luffy countered, lunging forward in a flurry of punches and kicks. They exchanged experimental blows for a while, getting a basic feel for each other's strength, and neither were out of breath when they fell apart.

"Your stamina improved," Sabo noted. "But you still need to raise your arms higher while blocking. You can't rely solely on your powers to stop the attack from hurting if it hits."

Luffy simply nodded and leaped forward once more, diving right back into the fight. Sabo lost track of time as they both slowly increased how much strength they were using until the blond had to start pouring in actual effort lest Luffy land a successful blow. As an older brother, being defeated so easily would be embarrassing.

They'd been forced to stop when the medical staff realized what was going on, but by then, it had become clear how much stronger both of them had gotten. Sabo's side ached fiercely, but he could hardly feel the pain through the elation of being able to spar with his brother again just like old times.

The two of them collapsed next to each other in a heap of laughter, and Sabo let the staff fuss over his wound for a while before eventually waving them off. They reluctantly left, but not before threatening to strap him down to a cot if he tried something that stupid again. Sabo only laughed and agreed; his fight with Luffy had been entirely unplanned anyways, he wasn't expecting it to happen again.

It felt so nice to be laying underneath the open sky with his brother again, even if they both were all too aware of the space left between them - just enough for another body to fit. But the gap wasn't empty; Ace's presence was laying right there with them, smiling and content to see his brothers alive and well.

Neither knew exactly when their hands found each other, fingers slotting together as if they'd been made to, but with Luffy laying right next to him, Sabo felt that he could do anything. Hot wind blew through their hair, and the sound of waves breaking on the shore accompanied by their slowing breaths and the shouts of his crew as they loaded the ships washed over them. Sabo knew it wouldn't be long until he had to leave, but for now, he was content to simply lay here with his brother as they enjoyed each other's presence.

At some point Luffy began retelling the adventures he'd had since Sabo'd last seen him last, and Sabo recalled amusing stories from his time with the Revolutionaries, to which Luffy listened with rapt attention. They avoided heavier topics in a silent agreement, and by the time the boats were ready to go, both felt lighter than they had in years. After such a long time apart, they'd finally had a chance to properly catch up and reconnect. Their brief encounter in Dressrosa had passed far too quickly for either of their liking, but Sabo knew his brother wouldn't hold his hasty departure against him.

Reluctantly they stood, facing each other. "Well..." Sabo started, not sure what parting words would be appropriate, cause this was in no way a 'goodbye'.

"Next time I see you, I'll definitely win!" Luffy declared with his signature grin, and Sabo really should have expected that.

"In your dreams, little brother," he chuckled, tossing aside any attempt at formality. This was _Luffy_ he was talking to, after all.

"I will!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you will." Sabo shook his head, stepping forward to encase his brother in a warm hug.

Luffy simply hummed in victory, holding his brother tightly as if he had every intention to never let him go. Sabo ducked his head into his brother's shoulder, inhaling the slightly disgusting smell of sweat that proved his brother was here- alive and real, no longer a distant figure from his muddy memories. The words "I missed you" and "thank you" hovered in the air between them, both of them understanding exactly how the other felt in that moment.

With one last tight squeeze, they finally parted, heads held high. Sabo lifted his hand and Luffy grabbed it, their eyes locking with determination.

"Keep growing stronger, Luffy. You've made Ace proud."

Luffy grinned with a nod. "Right back at you, Sabo."

"I'll see you at the top then, little brother."


End file.
